University of Wisconsin President Ray Cross on Tuesday asked the Legislature's budget-writing committee to approve a new public authority for the UW System, a "dedicated and stable funding stream" and to reduce the governor's proposed $300 million budget cut over the next two years.

Shortly after he finished his testimony, a handful of protesters burst into the room shouting, "No cuts, no deals." Followed by four Capitol police officers, the protesters marched past the table where Cross was sitting to give testimony before the Joint Committee on Finance.

If Park Bank is liable for not spotting Sujata "Sue" Sachdeva's $34 million embezzlement from Koss Corp. and has to reimburse the company, Koss Chief Executive Michael Koss should also be ordered to personally pay the public company he runs, the bank argues in a new lawsuit.

Grant Thornton, Koss Corp.'s former auditor, should also have to pay a portion of any award that may be ordered, Park Bank argued in the latest twist in a long-running court fight stemming from Sachdeva's massive embezzlement.

"Park Bank denies any and all liability to Koss in this case," the bank said in its action. "Nevertheless, should Park Bank be found liable to Koss (Corp.) and required to pay damages to Koss, in this case, those damages will have been the result of a common liability of Park Bank, Michael Koss and Grant Thornton, thereby entitling Park Bank to (a) contribution from Michael Koss and Grant Thornton."(6)

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Playing for Schnitzel

Journey abroad with former Hartford High School star quarterback Brian Brunner as he embraces food, friendship and football while playing for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of the German Football League.

As the green and gold have started the season 2-0, I feel like invoking last season's playoff loss shouldn't open too many old wounds on the collective pride of Packers fans.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the Unicorns faithful and myself whose wounds, both figurative and literal in my case, are far too fresh after falling to Dresden 56-45 and bowing out of the GFL playoffs.

Just like last year's desert shootout in Arizona, it became clear early on that the defenses would not play a significant role in deciding this one. | Sept. 20, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(9)

I've been fortunate enough to experience two military weddings in my life.

The actual ceremony is pretty much the same as any other wedding, either very dull or very love-affirming or very unnecessary as it delays the more important reception, depending on what stage of life you are at.

My favorite part comes upon the newly wedded couple's departure from the officiant as they pass beneath an arch of swords held by the hands of some of the groom's fellow soldiers. | Sept. 11, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(1)

The Unicorns were far from flawless, but managed to control all three aspects of the game and come away with a 33-20 victory over the Plattling Blackhawks before a crowd of just under 1,000 at Hagenbach Stadion Saturday.

Although the game was rendered meaningless as far as the standings are concerned thanks to Marburg's victory on Sunday over Stuttgart, it was significant on a deeper level.

The statistical analysis of the 2010 regular season yields some pretty impressive results for the Unicorns. | Sept. 6, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(3)

When we looked at the schedule before the season, a number of us circled the September 4th regular season finale against the Plattling Black Hawks.

For me, it was the day that I would have been standing up in the wedding of a friend of mine from back in the days of St. Joseph's Day Care off of Oklahoma Avenue, one of the many occasions I knew I would be missing while I pursued this endeavor abroad.

For Eren Savasli, it was going to be the rematch against one of his best friends and college quarterback Jimmy Robertson, the conductor of one of the most potent aerial assaults in all of Germany. | Sept. 4, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(1)

When I woke up this morning, I found myself seriously doubting the date I saw on the calendar: September 1.

It's been about five months since I landed here in Germany and embarked on an undertaking that has profoundly affected the way I see the world and my place as an international citizen.

It has also been five months since the Schwaebisch Hall Unicorns set forth on a journey that many teams across the United States are just beginning, the journey of a football season. | Sept. 1, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(6)

On June 12, a date that seems like it was two seasons ago, we soundly defeated the Weinheim Longhorns 60-6.

It was the kind of dominating performance that made Saturday's rematch in Weinheim a foregone conclusion, so much so that it actually prompted three of our defensive starters to actually skip the game.

During the practice week, our discussions rarely, if ever, involved a mention of the Longhorns' scheme or personnel, but rather how long our starters would stay in after we jumped out to a huge lead. | Aug. 30, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(1)

I suppose it's not surprising that a town whose football team is nicknamed The Unicorns has a penchant for fantasy and a pretty mean artistic streak.

Aside from playing host to one of the German Football League's top franchises, Schwaebisch Hall is one of the main epicenters for the performing arts in all of Baden-Wurttemberg.

The summer night tradition of having a round or two in the beer garden is superseded in Schwaebisch Hall as locals and travelers alike are given two options to indulge their imagination. | Aug. 25, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(4)

With just over a minute left in the game, the Unicorns offense took the field near their own 30-yard line down 17-10 to the defending champion Berlin Adler.

An obviously exhausted group found the strength to muster a last ditch effort and we moved the ball just inside the Berlin 20.

It's now fourth down, maybe seven seconds left on the clock and one play left to potentially steal back a victory and possibly home field advantage throughout the playoffs. | Aug. 23, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(3)

I've been out of the US television commercial loop here in Germany for four months so it is possible the landscape may have changed entirely.

I recall, however, that there were some fairly creative "Wanna get away?" Southwest Airlines commercials that advertised cheap get-aways to St. Louis, Kansas City and a variety of other spots in the US.

Due to a tighter budget than usual with the girlfriend over here, I opted for a cheap flight on the European equivalent Ryanair. | Aug. 19, 2010»Read Full Blog Post

It was my girlfriend Melanie's first day in Germany and we decided to take a stroll around the town.

We saw the magnificent St. Michael's church, experienced the music and history of the Siederns and essentially just got lost in the quaintness of this little place in Baden-Wurttemberg that I've called home for the past four months.

It was around 6 p.m. when we began walking across the bridge near Cafe Ilge. We were going to buy some groceries and have a little vesper, a typical early evening Bavarian meal. | Aug. 16, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(1)

I remember asking Rob Slavens, the Unicorns quarterback in 1998 and 2001, about conditioning in Germany.

His response, "It's soft," resonated in my mind as I stood on the practice field Wednesday with my teeth clenched and my lungs burning after our first "conditioning practice."

As our head coach and offensive coordinator are enjoying vacations on the French coast and Berchtesgaden respectively, the decision was made that our first two practices back from the break would focus on getting the squad back into shape after our long layoff.

Over the course of my time here in Schwäbisch Hall, there have been a few times where the Americans have been asked to do things that are so "blog-worthy" that I question whether or not they are a normal part of life in Germany.

"Hey Ami's, can you guys guard the beloved Maibaum from intruders looking to cut it down?"

"Ami's, can you guys do some authentic 'American' grilling for the people at a rock concert?" | July 29, 2010»Read Full Blog Post(4)

Brian Brunner, 24, was an all-state quarterback at Hartford High School in 2003 and went on to play for Central Michigan, where he once set the single-game passing record with 485 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over Indiana.

His dream was to try out for an NFL team, but that didn't happen. Now, after interning in the Green Bay Packers' personnel department, maintaining a blog for the NCAA and working as an intern at the Saginaw News, Brunner is trying his hand at football again as quarterback for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, a team that plays in the German Football League. Schwäbisch Hall is a town of 36,000 in southwest Germany.

The 12-team league plays two preseason games in April. The 12-game regular season begins in May. Each team is allowed to have four American players.

For more on the Unicorns, see their team Web site (it is in German, however, so you may just be able to look at the photos).